An apple a day?

I've often heard people say that one man's rubbish is another's treasure... The sight of a homeless man rummaging through a pile of garbage is pretty common.What others throw away could be of great use to him...Late October 09, we drove all the way to The Mall Road in Lahore...Me and my parents frequented a famous store nestled in a Colonial building.We were busy procuring clothes and suitings for a family wedding inside a building that was older than the country. Yet the same shop was hesitant in selling sugar to us...Who could predict that one day a commodity like sugar would become a luxury?My inability to comprehend the situation brought me outside to the parking lot.I was busy sampling a luscious Granny Smith apple while resting against the car...I would get my share of sugary delight from a green apple that cost 25 rupees (40 cents) per unit...It was neither cold or hot, a time when most people fall prey to an assortment of flus and colds...The whole nation was shopping for the upcoming wedding season in a road plagued with 'sale' signs...

I was done with my apple, there wasn't much left, I could now throw it away.Considering myself a responsible citizen, I chose a narrow alley bisecting the main road in a bid to dispose my Granny Smith.A pile of rubbish, where an amalgamation of food and waste lay, was what I chose.

I was abt to throw my apple away, when an unknown, unfamiliar voice called out to me and said, "can I have that?"...In the darkness, I was able to make out a small man who sat right next to a small wall near the pile of rubbish.I said, "pardon, I didn't get what you said."He said, "can I have that apple?".I said, "but there's nothing much left of it, I was going to throw it away"He said, "don't throw it away, give it to me, for you its finished, for me there's still some food left in it"...

I couldn't believe my ears, and I didn't know what to say. Speechless, I offered what was left of my apple to the voice in the darkness.Never had I seen that another man's consumed food could be re-used for eating...Shocked, I sat in front of him and watched him noisily eat my apple...

With a raised eyebrow, he said, "welcome to my house, would you like to have something to eat? I have lots of leftovers. There's this sandwich a lady dropped, still has her lipstick on it! Would you like to be the lucky one? No? Oh well there's a packet of chips this really sweet kid gave me. He was sweet enough to tell me he didn't like the flavour! And then there is..."

I said, "no thank you, I'm pretty full... You munch on...I shall take my leave...""Oh c'mon, its not everyday someone drops by", he complained...I bid farewell and walked out of the alley, regretting why I had walked into it the first time...I would now think twice before eating an apple...

Embarrassed, I forgot my worldly materialistic concernsI retreated to my car and suddenly the apple after-taste felt sour...I wondered if I would ever seem him again...Maybe I would come again next time, perhaps with two apples...

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